Colorado
Colorado SWAT Team Raids Wrong Apartment, Locks Innocent Family in Police Car
The cops tried to cover up their mistake after they "terrorized" the family, according to a lawsuit.
In Session
Lawmakers across the country introduce bills to strengthen private property rights, crackdown on out-of-control regulators, and get the government out of micromanaging stairways.
Will Doug Burgum Be Donald Trump's Housing Czar?
Plus: Democrats' housing-lite postelection recriminations and yet another ballot box defeat for pro–rent control forces in California.
Most People Support School Choice. Why Won't They Vote For It?
School choice advocates work hard, but public school interest groups work harder.
Colorado Might Allow More People To Provide Veterinary Care
A ballot initiative to create a new category of medical providers for animals is winning approval, though votes are still being counted.
Pro-Choice Abortion Initiatives Pass in Seven Out of Ten States
Most of these weren't close calls at all.
Massachusetts Voters Reject Decriminalization of 5 Natural Psychedelics
The initiative also would have authorized state-licensed "psychedelic therapy centers."
States Will Choose Whether To Adopt or Abandon Ranked Choice Voting
There are any number of reasons to support or oppose a switch to ranked choice voting, but most of the opposition comes from the majority parties.
Coconut Trees, Price Controls, and Demand Subsidies
Plus: Gainesville shrinks minimum lot sizes, a Colorado church can keep providing shelter to the homeless, and Berkeley considers allowing small apartments everywhere.
California Lawmakers Kill World's Most Marginal Psychedelics Reform
The now-dead bill would have permitted three counties to establish pilot programs in which military veterans could take psilocybin under the supervision of medical professionals.
AI Could Become the Next Victim of the 'Sacramento Effect'
California's stringent AI regulations have the power to stifle innovation nationwide, impacting all of us.
Woman Struck by Train While Locked in Police Car To Get $8.5 Million Settlement
Yareni Rios was severely injured after a train struck a police car she had been placed in after being arrested in 2022.
The Housing Policy Implications of Taylor Swift
Plus: An interview with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis about the state's blockbuster year for housing reform.
Colorado Hasn't Even Approved Ranked Choice Voting Yet, and Already Lawmakers Are Trying To Delay It
An amendment in the state's election law would delay implementation of a proposed November ballot initiative. Voting organizations urge a governor's veto.
Colorado Will Replace Cops With Drones for Some 911 Calls
While drones are less likely to shoot or maim innocent civilians, they could also pose privacy issues.
Colorado Bans HOAs From Banning Home Businesses
Homeowners associations are the most, and the least, libertarian form of governance.
The Supreme Court Rules Impact Fees Can Violate Your Property Rights Too
Plus: Zoning reform in Minnesota stalls, a New York housing "deal" does little for housing supply, and Colorado ends occupancy limits.
Colorado Legislators Ditch Plan To Ban Guns in Dozens of 'Sensitive Places'
The amended bill applies only to schools, polling places, and certain government buildings.
This Colorado Bill Would Abolish the Right to Armed Self-Defense in Many 'Sensitive Places'
Legislators are taking a page from constitutionally dubious state laws that make carry permits highly impractical to use.
Dating Apps Are Horrible. A Colorado Bill Would Make Them Worse.
The problem is the users, not the apps.
Cross-Ideological YIMBY Coalition Defies Increasing Polarization - So Far
The New York Times and the Atlantic report on how the movement to curb exclusionary zoning and build more housing has managed to cut across ideological lines.
Rent Free Q&A: Jared Polis
The Colorado governor talks about live housing reforms in the state legislature, the federal role in housing policy, and whether we should abolish zoning completely.
78-Year-Old Grandmother Awarded $3.8 Million After Illegal SWAT Raid
The legal victory has been attributed to a 2020 law banning qualified immunity for police in Colorado.
A Paramedic Got 5 Years in Prison for Elijah McClain's Death. That's Not Justice.
It can certainly be true that Peter Cichuniec made an egregious professional misjudgment. And it can also be true that punishing him criminally makes little sense.
SCOTUS Is Troubled by the Claim That States Can Disqualify Trump From the Election As an Insurrectionist
Most of the justices are clearly inclined to reject a Colorado Supreme Court decision asserting that power under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
Bill Would Have Required Coloradans To Register Their Pets, at $8.50 Each
The bill, which has thankfully been withdrawn, was an unnecessary state intrusion into Coloradans' lives.
Zoning Board Orders Longtime Tenants' Homes Dismantled
Plus: the Supreme Court weighs housing fees and homelessness, YIMBYs bet on smaller, more focused reforms, and a new paper finds legalizing more housing does in fact bring costs down.
Aurora, Colorado, Police Detained the Wrong Guy at Gunpoint. They Gave Him a Ticket Anyway.
Police forced 44-year-old Teddy Pittman facedown on the road at gunpoint after mistaking him for a fugitive. When they let him go, they slapped him with a traffic ticket.
Rent Control for the Rich
Plus: Fort Collins tries passing zoning reform for the third time, Coastal California cracks down on Airbnbs, and state lawmakers try to unban rent control.
7 Reasons Trump's Lawyers Say He Is Not Disqualified From Running for President
His Supreme Court petition raises serious questions about how to interpret and apply Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
Court's Wild Zoning Decision Blocks 'Montana Miracle'
Plus: More local "missing middle" reforms pass in Maine and Virginia, Colorado court blesses crackdown on student housing, and Florida tries to escape its slow growth past.
Who Decides Whether Trump Can Run, and What Sort of Evidence Suffices?
Letting state officials determine whether a candidate has "engaged in insurrection" opens a huge can of worms.
Who Killed Elijah McClain? Mixed Verdicts Reflect a Cascade of Ultimately Fatal Mistakes.
Juries convicted two paramedics and one police officer of criminally negligent homicide but acquitted two other cops.
Was the Capitol Riot an 'Insurrection,' and Did Trump 'Engage in' It?
The Colorado Supreme Court's reasoning in deciding that Trump is constitutionally disqualified from running for president seems iffy.
Removing Trump From the Colorado Ballot Won't Make Things Better
You're not going to save democracy by kicking people out of elections.
Colorado Cops Falsely Arrested Him for a DUI. Now He's Getting a $400,000 Settlement.
In 2020, Harris Elias was arrested for driving drunk even though tests showed he was completely sober. After filing a lawsuit, he's getting a hefty settlement payout.
In Colorado, Voters Could Undo Key Component of TABOR Law
The "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" requires that the state return excess revenue to taxpayers. A ballot question could change that.
Odd Colorado Ruling Upholds Internet Keyword Search Warrant
Court says the warrant was “constitutionally defective” but grants police a “good faith” exception.
